Awakening
by HosekiDragon
Summary: A oneshot. Danny has a dream where strange things happen and a voice tells him that whatever he chooses will effect his future. Set before the show.


Okay, so this is my first ever Danny Phantom fan fiction! I was listening to my Kingdom Hearts soundtrack and the Simple and Clean Remix started playing. Having had a Snow Day the day before, I had taken the opportunity to watch some Danny Phantom (which I am just getting into). So, ultimately, the two ideas clashed. But I haven't seen that many episodes (only about eleven of them; episodes 1-13 minus 3 and 7) so please be nice and don't, like, totally ruin the show for me…! This one-shot takes place before the show (weird concept, I know) and; disclaimer time; I don't own Danny Phantom or any characters associating with said show and I also don't own the Awakening which originated in Kingdom Hearts. And anyone who hasn't played KH should! Anyway, I'll stop ranting now.

_EmptyHeart Productions, in association with HosekiDragon Art, is proud to present…_

**Awakening**

It was an endless abyss of black with a stretch of glowing green road going on forever. It felt like he'd been walking on that road for a life time without getting tired or hungry. And the silence; it was heavy, crushing, the kind that came with the snow. But there was no snow here; only empty darkness, the dimly glowing path, and him walking on it.

A sliver of a breeze ruffled his black hair and he looked up from watching his feet step mechanically in front of one another. Something was coming at him from the road ahead. At first, he thought it was a bus or a train but it seemed to be consuming the darkness. He took an unconscious step backwards and, as it rushed nearer, he raised his arms for what little protection it would provide. In a great gush of wind, whatever it was surrounded him and he was blinded by sunlight.

When his eyes adjusted, he found himself standing in the middle of the street in his home town. Alone. There were parked cars on the streets, lights on in the windows of the shops and houses, but there was no one around. He heard someone call his name and he turned. She stood on the street, looking at him curiously, asking him what he was doing. He grinned stupidly in response and ran towards her but when he was about a foot away, his foot sunk into something. Looking down, he found himself sinking into the pavement, already up to his knees. He struggled against it, trying to move, reaching got her, falling down to his waist in it. She was calling for him, obviously afraid to get to close to the strange patch in the street. He'd sunk up to his neck and he stretched out one hand in a last desperate attempt to escape but it was to no avail. He went under. The feeling that something had been ripped out of him made him cringe and as he looked up, he saw a white-haired, green-eyed version of himself looking back as though the pavement had turned to glass.

And then he dropped and he other self pounded his fists on the glass. He himself fell…and fell and fell and fell onto a soft bed. He was in his room. He sat up, looking around but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He called for his parents, for his sister, or his friends but no one answered. He was about to stand up and head for his door when there was the sound of breaking glass and the room exploded into a million sparkling shards and he fell again, this time into an ocean of dark blue water sliced with green.

He plunged downward, faster than normal water would allow, his breathing quick, his stomach churning as he dropped. Then he felt himself slowing down and his legs swung around so that he landed softly on a black surface. He didn't know what this place and the darkness surrounding him made him feel powerless. He inched his foot forward and light erupted at his feet, thousands of black butterflies disappearing into the darkness around him from the floor, revealing a huge stained glass, circular column. The picture made of the stained glass was a dark red heart with two different wings; one a white feathered wing and the other a dark green draconic wing. He gazed around, lost, confused, and utterly alone.

_Danny Fenton…_

A voice; a voice in the darkness; that was light, whispering, warm, comforting. A disembodied voice.

_So much for you to do…_

Danny raised an eyebrow, not moving, not sure what was going on, not sure if this was a dream or a reality.

_And so little time to do it all in…take your time…don't be afraid…_

"I'm not scared." He muttered, crossing his arms stubbornly.

_Good…Now, step forward. Can you do it?_

A shaft of light shone down and Danny moved forward to stand beneath it, the light reflecting in his blue eyes. It flickered and slid away, fading into the darkness.

_Don't be afraid, Danny Fenton…_

The glass beneath him burst apart and he fell once more, again landing gently on his feet on a stained glass column; this time the winged heart had black vines with thorns wrapped around it. Three light green pedestals inscribed with strange symbols rose from the floor, each of them supporting a different object that floated in mid-air. The one to his far left was a slowly revolving pair of black gauntlets. The voice spoke again.

_The power of the darkness._

_Invincible strength._

_A force of infinite destruction._

Danny made a face and looked at the middle pair of gauntlets; these were a radiant white.

_The power of the light._

_Ability to aid yourself._

_A guardian to repel all._

He took a step forward, reaching out a hand.

_Wait, Danny Fenton…there is one other choice._

The boy looked to his far right; the gauntlets floating there were different. One was black and the other was white.

_The power of the hybrid._

_Strength of the heart._

_An object of wonder and beauty._

…_So, which power will you choose?_

Danny looked from one to the other, confused. Pick one? But they all sounded so powerful that to choose only one seemed a little wasteful. His initial choice had been the white gauntlets; the power of light; but compared to the hybrid power it sounded awfully selfish. Besides, the hybrid gauntlets looked cooler. The boy walked over to the floating black and white weapons and touched them; they disappeared in a flash of green light.

_Now, Danny Fenton, which power will you give up?_

"Give up? I have to give one up? Does that mean I get to keep the other one?"

But the vice did not respond. Danny starred at the other pairs of gauntlets. 'A guardian to repel all' sounded good but then so did 'invincible strength.' Indecisive, he did an E-nee-Me-nee-My-nee-Mo and ended up pointing at the white gauntlets. He reached out and touched them and they too vanished in a flash of green light.

_You gave chosen the power of the hybrid. _

_You have given up the power of the light._

_Your path has been set…_

The green pedestals sank back into the ground and the stained glass rippled. He sank into it and fell for the third time. The next column of stained glass was like the first two; but the thorny vines were gone and the feathers on the white wing were tainted with a crimson red. As he landed, a green light shone on his forearms and the black gauntlet appeared on his right arm, the white on his left.

_You have gained the power to fight, Danny Fenton…_

Danny clenched his fists and swung then out in a few practice swings.

_Use this power to protect yourself and others…_

A greenish glowing thing wiggled out of the floor and hovered in the air. More followed. One of them finally noticed Danny and they all launched themselves at him. He spun and used the force of the spin to punch one; it evaporated in a mist of green. He attacked the others.

_There will be times when you will have to fight…_

One of the things bit into his shoulder and he cried out, slamming his fist onto its head.

_Keep your heart strong, Danny Fenton…_

The last monster evaporated and the black-haired youth doubled over, putting his hands on his knees, panting. The gauntlets felt heavy on his arms.

_Behind you!_

The voice called and Danny whirled, lashing out quickly. The green mist from the destroyed monster enveloped him and he stumbled back, waving his armored hands about, trying to clear it. Startled by the loss of vision, he tripped and fell and as he crashed to the floor he felt hundreds of tiny clawed hands grabbing at him. Terrified he jerked away, swinging uselessly at things he couldn't see. The mist finally faded and with it the hands. He lay where he'd fallen, breathing heavily, calming his heart, before getting to his feet. He was on a different stained glass column; this one a picture of himself with the two different wings. Ominous. Another shaft of light illuminated a translucent door made of heavy black wood. Danny's hand went right through it.

"I can't even touch it."

_Trial and error…you cannot understand anything if you know nothing._

"So what is it exactly that I have to understand?"

_Don't be afraid…face the truth about yourself and accept that truth…_

Something crawled over the edge of the column; a red-eyed, white-haired, be-horned version of himself. It snarled at him, barring fangs, and leaped. The two rolled across the floor, struggling and fighting, Danny getting his fair share of punches in while his demonic self raked its claws across his body, drawing bloody gashes. Danny eventually kicked it over the edge of the column and it fell silently into the darkness.

_Good…_

The door solidified and Danny pressed his hand against it. It opened towards him and a bright light shone from inside, making the youth squint as he stepped into it.

_Hold on, Danny Fenton, the door isn't open just yet. First, tell me about yourself…_

Danny found himself in Mr.Lancer's classroom at his school, Casper High. Mr. Lancer himself sat at his desk, writing down things on a piece of paper, Dash sat at one of the student desks, attempting to fold a paper airplane, and Danny's best friend Tucker was perched on a window sill, gazing out through the glass with his PDA in his hands. Danny walked up to Mr. Lancer's desk and tapped it with a gauntlet-covered fist.

"Well, Mr. Fenton," Said the teacher, setting down his pen, "Tell me; do you believe in love?"

"Well…I…uh…" Danny felt his face turn red, "Y-yeah, I guess…I do…!"

"Excellent." Mr. Lancer went back to his paperwork. Danny turned and took a hesitant half-step towards the person who'd bullied him for most of his high school career.

"Hey Fenton!" Dash threw the completed airplane and it crashed right into Danny's forehead, landing in a heap on the floor, "I gotta question for you! Get over here!"

Danny trotted over, stopping just out of arms reach.

"You afraid of what's in the dark, Fenton?"

It took a moment for the boy to process the question and then another moment to think about it. Dash tapped his foot impatiently.

"Nope." Danny replied truthfully, "Not at all…!"

"Psh…!" Dash turned away, pulled out another sheet of paper, and started making another airplane. Danny walked over to his best and long time friend and technology wiz Tucker.

"Hey Tucker! How's it going?"

"Danny," Tucker didn't look away from the window through which you could see the school courtyard, "Do you believe that fate interferes with real life?"

"Uhhhhhh…" Danny was a little taken aback by his best buddy's cryptic words, "Fate?" He thought about it, "Maybe…a little…"

_You believe in love. _

_You do not fear what lurks in the dark._

_You believe fate may interfere with life every so often._

_Is this the path you choose?_

"Anything else would be a lie!" Danny said to the voice.

_You're journey will begin at sunset. Keep your heart and hope strong and everything will turn out okay._

"Bring it on!" He punched the white gauntlet into the black one.

_The moment when the door opens in drawing near…_

A bright light made Danny throw his arms in front of his face. When the light faded, he was back in the infinite darkness on another stained glass column; this depicting himself with the wings again but wrapped in thorny black vines. More greenish glowing things appeared and attacked, Danny swinging back with his dual colored gauntlets. As the last one evaporated a shaft of light created a glowing circle on the stained glass before moving away to the edge of the column, waiting expectantly. Danny looked at the circle on the floor and poked his toe into it. Nothing happened. He stepped all the way into the circle and sparkles of green and white swirled around him briefly before the circle disappeared. All his injuries and fatigue vanished.

_Do not fear oblivion, Danny Fenton…_

The boy walked over to the light and it flickered away. He peered over the edge and gulped, palms sweating beneath his gauntlets. It looked like, if he fell, he'd be falling forever.

_Do not doubt yourself, Danny Fenton…_

A warm hand pushed him in the middle of the back and he stumbled out into empty, crying out as he expected to fall. But his tennis shoes stood on something solid thought there was nothing there. It was slightly disconcerting.

"Hey, Voice, can you maybe make a path or something? This is freaking me out!"

There was no answer. Danny was about to accept that the voice was gone and he'd be stuck here forever when numerous stained glass squares faded in, leading up to another stained glass column that had appeared from nowhere. The youth took hesitant steps forward, wondering if the squares would fall like they did in video games, and then decided that if the disembodied voice had wanted him to fall again it would have dropped him by now. His footsteps rang on the stained glass, the only sound in the blackness, and when he reached the second column the glass squares disappeared. Danny didn't dare see if he could step out onto nothing again.

The stained glass picture here was of the white-haired version of himself that had been ripped from him when he'd fallen through the street but this one had one green draconic wing. Another pillar of light gleamed down and Danny walked slowly towards it.

_The closer you get to the light, Danny Fenton, the more the shadow in your heart is revealed…_

The floor shook and, as the light flickered and died, the One-Winged Danny ripped himself from the floor and became 3-D. He toward over the real Danny wit glowing green eyes.

_But don't be afraid…_

One-Winged Danny stretched his wing, creating a shadow over most of the column. Danny stepped backwards, his heart pounding so hard he thought it was going to explode from his chest.

_And don't forget…_

Danny turned and ran, adrenaline fear making him go numb, but there was no where to run. He pin-wheeled his arms, teetering on the edge of the circular column. One-Winged Danny loomed behind him and the real Danny turned, still terrified, and raised his gauntleted fists.

The fight was quick. One-Winged Danny swept his hand across the column, attempting to knock Danny into the darkness, or beat his wing to create a horrific wind, or try to step on Danny. And all Danny could do was punch. But it seemed to be doing the trick. Smirking, the boy dodged backwards and was about to lung forward again when the gauntlets vanished from his arms in a flash of green. Horror struck the boy's heart and he was paralyzed by fear; he was weaponless.

One-Winged Danny crouched low, his wing curling over the side of the column, his white hair falling over one of his green eyes. Suddenly, he slammed a hand down, knocking Danny over. Lime green tendrils rose from the floor, flicking over Danny Fenton's form as he lay, starring into those glowing green eyes.

_-But don't be afraid…_

The green tendrils twined over Danny's legs and started up his waist and he kicked at them, clawing at them, nearly hyperventilating.

_You hold the mightiest weapon of all…_

Danny tried to scoot away but was distracted as more of the tendrils wrapped around his wrists, trying to pin him down. Tears burned his brilliant blue eyes and all the while One-Winged Danny crouched over him, starring.

_So don't forget:_

Danny Fenton starred back at the demented version of himself; the green tendrils sliding over his chest, up his neck, covering his face…he fell into blackness.

_You are the one who lives in both worlds…_

---

"Danny! Danny, wake up! Danny!"

Danny Fenton snorted in his sleep, blinked, and sat up, rubbing his eyes. A piece of algebra homework stuck to his cheek.

"Huh? WhazzamattaJazz?" He muttered, slurring his words and yawning, peeling the paper of his face.

"Mom and Dad want you down in the lab."

"Mmmmg…what 'fer?" He stretched and stood.

"I don't know but it probably has something to do with some ghost fantasy of theirs!" Jazz rolled her eyes, clutching her books to her chest, and walked off.

"Whatever…" Danny murmured and walked down the stairs to his parents' lab. He'd had the strangest dream and yet it hadn't seemed like a dream at all; it had been so real and so strange. But the memory of it was already fading from his mind.

"Danny!" His father jolted him from his thoughts, "Look at this! Your mother and I made this new machine! It'll make it easier to get in touch with ghosts!"

"Uh-huh…" Danny raised an eyebrow skeptically, "And how's it work?"

"Like this!" Jack and Maddie Fenton each picked up a huge power cord, one an outlet and the other a plug, and stuck them together. There were a few small sparks but nothing else happened.

"Oooooohhhhhhh…!" Jack Fenton whined, hanging his head and shuffling up the stairs, his wife following close behind, patting his back. Danny peeked up the stairs after them and then scooted over to the new machine, stepping inside the tunnel-like structure and looking around. Not paying attention, he tripped and threw his hand out, catching himself on the wall. Unfortunately for Danny, he'd hit the "ON" button. Blinding lights blazed to life and he felt as though a thousand volts of electricity were being zapped through his system. A strange feeling coursed over him and the last thing he saw was strands of white tumbling in front of his eyes like snow…

----

Phew…! There it is! Danny's Awakening! And if you didn't get the last part, it's supposed to be like the part in the opening theme where Danny goes in his parents' machine and "his molecules got all rearranged". See if you can guess what the white strands are…! XD

Anyway, please tell me what you think! If you like it, cool! Depending on what reviews I get, I might do an entire DP fan fiction but only if I think people like this one-shot. Thank you tons!

"We always find ourselves crying out. Just continuing to believe is not the answer. We must bare our weaknesses and wounds, and continue to struggle, or nothing will ever turn out! Break on through to the other side of the door!" –To The Other Side Of The Door by YeLLOW Generation


End file.
